Education is the accumulation of knowledge. It includes skills, behaviors, customs, traditions and ideologies. Colonial education was a kind of education offered by European capitalists to Africans and uses them in their administration and other fields.
THE OBJECTIONS / OBJECTIVES OF COLONIAL EDUCATION
The following were the major objectives of colonial education in Africa.
To civilize Africans: It was aimed at the transmission of European culture and values to the Africans, the Europeans considered Africans to be uncivilized people.
To produce junior clerks and messengers to be employed in colonial administration system and in colonial bureaucracy in general.
To create skilled labor: They wanted to create a working class which semi or fully skilled to serve colonial interests better.
To destroy African unity: Colonial education was used to weaken pre-colonial African unity and them less resistant. The educated natives despised the non-educated natives.
To reduce African resistances: Europeans believed that civilized Africans won’t offer strong military resistance to the Europeans.
To prepare the middle class Africans: They wanted to create a class of the native elites (education Africans) who will be used to civilize their fellow Africans. The elites were expected to be loyal to the colonialists.
To ensure a market for European manufactured goods: A class of the natives elites were expected to be used in the use of manufactured goods from Europe such as clothes, food, medicine, books and others. In the long run this culture was expected be common to many Africans hence a constant market for European manufactured goods.
CHARACTERISTICS OF COLONIAL EDUCATION IN AFRICA
The following were the distinctive features of colonial education in colonial time in Africa:-
It was more theoretical than practical: The schools for natives had no laboratories, enough teaching facilities and other practical fields. Most of the lessons were provided in the classrooms theoretically.
It was discriminatory in nature: Not all African children got formal education. The African rules’ sons and daughters were highly considered than the common poor people. Also the children of the Kulaks and other respected natives were considered e.g. J.K.Nyerere who formal education in Tabora boys (he was the son of chief).
It was racially segregated: The were different schools for different racial groups within the same colony e.g. Schools for Europeans children such as ST. Michael European School today know as Mkwawa in Iringa, Europeans school in Iyunga Mbeya. The European schools had good facilities than other schools. There were also special schools for the children from African royal families such as Tabora School. There were also Bush schools, missionary schools.
Low quality education to the natives: Very little money was spent on Africans’ education. This made the education offered to the natives to be of a very low quality.
Gender inequality: There were more boys than girls who were educated in the colonial period. This was because the colonialists preferred more educated men than women in employment; also the African societies didn’t respect gender equality (women were greatly discriminated in many areas).
Colonial education was based on missionary (Christian mission) areas: In areas where they Christian missionary centers many Africans got western formed education than other areas without Christian missionary centers.
The syllabus and exams conducted in Africans schools colleges were set in Europe. The curriculum was based on European interests. The emphasis was put on literal skills such as arithmetic, writing and reading. It did consider the needs of Africans.
Colonial education provided a society with less educated natives and a big number of illiterates. It created a pyramidal structure of native societies in terms of education. Consider the following structure:-
- Universities.
- Colleges.
- Tertiary schools.
- Secondary schools.
PRIMARY EDUCATION.
It was an elementary education aiming at preparing the children to be future producer of raw materials e.g. the cash crops. Also it prepared them to be cheap laborers. Each colony had its own model
SECONDARY EDUCATION
In Tanganyika, it started from standard 5 to 8 was also known as middle class schools e.g. Tabora and Tanga schools.
COLLEGES
It was a post-secondary school level which prepared people in various careers e.g. Teachers training colleges, technical college and so on.
UNIVERSITIES
They provided higher education EG. Makerere University in Uganda to serve the East Africans.
